


Human

by Okami_writez



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Friends to Lovers, Good Theo Raeken, Hallucinations, Hurt Theo Raeken, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Not Beta Read, Overprotective Chimera Pack, Overprotective Corey, Short Chapters, Suicide Attempt, Theo Raeken Needs a Hug, Theo is practically Alec's dad, i guess??, it hurt writing this, no one died, post 6b
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:46:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25813774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okami_writez/pseuds/Okami_writez
Summary: the·o·dore rae·ken/THē·ôdore rā·ken/noun1. A snarky, sarcastic chimera who only wanted power and a pack“I’m an atheist. Fire at will.”2. A broken, unstable human being who only wanted everything to end“It’s okay, you don’t have to stop.”
Relationships: Alec & Theo Raeken, Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt, Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 25
Kudos: 148





	1. Theo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW// Attempted Suicide

Theo thought everything would be better after Derek had offered him a place to stay. A loft in a different location of his, right outside of town but close enough to come into it if there was any trouble. The first few nights were okay, the entire pack had helped him get some furniture and have everything set up. Theo even got special permission from the grounds owner to have some renovations done. It wasn’t much, just put a few walls up, like to the left of the door, just so he could separate the indoor gym he planned on building.

Everything was great after the walls were put up and the gym was done. Alec, Scott’s new beta, had moved into the loft next to his, as per Derek’s request of course. Things were finally becoming normal, less hellish than the months he spent sleeping in his truck. But of course nothing would go his way.

A short while after being comfortable, his nights began to get restless again. Maybe it’s because the loft just felt a little empty, Theo doesn’t really know, but what he does know is that the nightmares will never keep their distance. No matter what, they will always come back. He tried pills, he tried therapy, he tried everything.

Nothing had worked, and he just suddenly felt tired of trying to fight them.

It was one of those nights again, where he’s thrashing and screaming in his sleep. This time was different though. When Theo had forced himself to wake up, his mouth closed up like a black hole. Words, even whispers, refused to come out. He felt different this time. Usually, the chimera would spring up with sweaty clothes, heartbeat ringing his ears. His breath would come in and out quick and panic-like, and his chemosignals were most likely off-the-roof with anxiety and fear.

Not this time though.

He stared at the ceiling, no emotion visible on his face. The feeling in his body was entirely gone, and his body just felt cold, too cold. It was like he was made to stand outside a snowstorm in the arctic. The soft hum of his heartbeat wasn’t echoing at all this time, hell, Theo could barely even hear it himself. Maybe it was time, time for him to go. Theo felt a wash of relief when those thoughts rushed through his brain, and made a decision.

He turned his head to his bedside table, seeing his phone and voice recorder on it. His hand lifted slowly, grabbing the voice recorder and rewinding back a few moments before he woke up. There was no screaming like he thought he was doing, just rustling in the sheets, but Theo knew just how bad tonight was. It was still vividly replaying in his mind, and it wasn’t getting out of it anytime soon.

There was a sudden drop of what little warmth he felt. The world seemed empty through his clouded eyes and animal instincts that should be yelling at him weren’t there anymore. It was as if he was somehow a shell of what used to be Theodore Raeken, and to be fairly honest, Theo didn’t mind. He felt great, lighter than he has ever been in his life, and he just wanted more of that feeling, even if it meant the worst.

As if on autopilot, the chimera slipped off his bed, not even bothering to put on shoes when he slipped through his front door and onto the cold streets of Beacon Hills. He aimlessly let his legs take him wherever they wanted him to go. Around him, the town felt ghostly. No one else was around, not a single heartbeat for miles. That should’ve pushed Theo’s alarms, but it didn’t, he just kept walking and walking until he realized he was standing on a very familiar bridge before him.

Theo stared at the water below him, looking at himself in the distorted mirror. He looked at himself and thought, _damn, what a waste of a pretty face_. What a waste indeed because through his haste to get out, he subconsciously made the decision to stop by his truck and grabbed the heavy chains he never planned to use. He bought them just in case someone needed to be held down, or if he wanted himself to be held down. It seemed it was the latter this time. Without a sound, Theo wordlessly wrapped them around his ankles and made sure they weren’t coming off when he was done with business.

The stars look good tonight, Theo whispers more to himself than another. Of course there wasn’t anyone around, who would come to his rescue? Though, Theo didn’t really want a savior. He finally found the courage to accomplish his lifetime goal so he can’t go wasting the chance. Everything that was currently happening is because he deserved it. He deserves to be gone, to be forgotten in the depths of hell. The pack shouldn’t care, shouldn’t care at all for his wellbeing. He did terrible things and there’s no way to fix them.

Dying just seemed the like the only way out.

With a deep breath, he looked back down at the rippling water and for a split second, he could see the distinct figure of Tara telling him to do it, to _jump_.

And he did, sinking to the bottom like a stupid rock that was unlucky, or in his case, lucky enough to be kicked in there.

Maybe Hell would be warmer this time around.


	2. Alec

Alec woke up groggily in his bed, pulling his sheets up for more warmth. He squinted his eyes at the alarm clock near his bed and read 12:37 am on it. Why the hell was he up this early in the morning? There is no reason for him to be awake right now so with a groan, he goes back to sleep in seconds.

The next time he wakes up, it’s half an hour the first time he did. Alec getting a little frustrated with his body because damn, can’t he just sleep good on a Friday night? Is that too much to ask? Although he was still full of sleep, the beta could hear the small rustle of sheets in the loft next to him. It seems Theo was having another nightmare again. Unbeknownst to the pack and probably Theo too, Alec heard everything. The screaming, the thrashing, everything. But when it came to him asking about it to Theo, he just couldn’t. Nothing would come out.

Theo took the best care of him after moving into Beacon Hills. He would always let him come in and have breakfast and dinner, use the gym, even play on his x-box if Alec really wanted to. Yes, the others took care of him as well, but not as much as Theo has. Maybe it was because they live right next to each other but Alec somehow doubts that. The two of them had grown a special bond that they never really touched upon. It was unspoken, yet known through gestures and stares.

Alec smiled at the thought, clutching his pillow and going back to sleep again. He thought he would be waking up at around ten o’clock like he always did on Saturday’s, but of course that wasn’t it. The third time he wakes up, there is something within that makes him visibly stiffen. He sniffs around to see if anything is out of place but nothing, that is, until he realizes that there’s one less heartbeat in the area.

Why wasn’t Theo in his loft? There hasn’t been trouble for weeks, and if there was, the pack would certainly still be up, but that wasn’t the case. Theo was gone and Alec didn’t know what to do anymore. The beta kept giving himself made up narratives as to why Theo would suddenly leave in the middle of the night, and the one that struck him the most was that the chimera just ups and _leaves town_. Now that didn’t settle well with his newly acquired wolf at all.

He just had to make sure, it was all for reassurance that Theo hadn’t actually left.

The beta booked it out of his bed and grabbed a random hoodie off the floor to chuck on before he practically ripped Theo’s loft door open and searched through the home. Nothing was out of place. His laptop was left on the kitchen peninsula, his car keys sat right next to it. Looking out the window, Alec could see Theo’s car still parked, which means Theo just ran. He could be anywhere by now, and Alec doesn’t know if he could find him.

When he checks the bed, it’s cold and unmade. The bottle of Theo’s anxiety pills sitting on his nightstand wasn’t open, Alec shook it just in case.

“Fucking hell Theo, where are you?!” Alec yelled at himself, pulling his phone out and dialing the first contact he saw. He shook while it rung in his ear, breath uneven with worry. After the third ring, that someone finally answered

“ _Alec?_ ”

Alec let out a shaky breath before whispering, “Theo’s missing, Scott.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alec is baby, don't @ me


	3. Liam

Liam rushes through the open door to find most of the pack already present, all just standing in silence. He switches his gaze to find Scott and Nolan taking care of Alec, who looks completely dead. He cringes at that because he probably looks like it as well. As soon as Mason pulled up at his house and had Corey go through his window to tell him what happened, the beta all but rushed out in his pajamas. He’s only a little angry that the only ones who seemed to rush here were him, Mason, and Corey, but as the thought floated through his mind, he was rudely pushed aside for the rest of the pack. And if they all looked visibly worse than Liam right now, no one asked.

Everyone was here now, right in Theo’s loft. Derek, Brett, Gabe, and Josh made their way upstairs to find anything while Tracy, Lydia, and Kira looked the downstairs library. Corey and Mason were now going through Theo’s electronics; laptop, desktop, phone, everything. Everyone else was just kept standing. Liam decided to take over for Scott while he and Stiles talk in the middle of the room.

“Has anyone found something?” Scott asked the room, but most of them only grunted with nothing.

“I don’t get it,” this time it was Brett, who was climbing down the steps, “his scent is _gone_. It’s like he never even existed. His clothes and stuff still smell like him but there’s no trace of it outside anywhere. How could someone just, _turn off_ their scent?”

Now that, was saying something, because out of everyone in the pack, Brett had the best nose, Derek being in a close second, andScott in third. But none of them could get anything. This didn’t help the worry Liam had in the pit of his stomach, and it probably didn’t help Alec very much either. The younger had tensed when Brett brought up the idea that maybe Theo had never existed in the first place. It’s obviously not true, but damn, did it do something to Liam’s emotions.

To have Theo just, disappear? That didn’t sit well and it made him mad. Liam swears to himself while running his hands through Alec’s course hair. After a minute or two, Stiles finally gets the courage to talk and the words that slipped through his unbelievably loose mouth just angered Liam to the fullest.

“What if he just left, y’know, by his own accord?” suggested the human, who shrugged when Scott nudged him. “It makes sense, Scott. He’s done it before, he could’ve easily done it again!”

“You can’t say that, Stiles! Look how bad the boy looks,” Kira told him, obviously talking about Alec.

“I’m only saying the truth! He only ever cares about himself, so what’s gives him the reason to stay? Nothing, absolutely nothing! He left after the Anuk-Ite, and came back after three weeks, maybe he realized he didn’t need to be here.”

“Theo wouldn’t just leave,” Gabe interjected, “especially without his truck. That thing is like his baby dude, it’s too important to him to leave behind. Besides, Theo told us he didn’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”

“And who’s the ‘us’ you’re talking about Gabe?”

“ _Us_. Alec, Nolan, Brett, Lori, Tracy, Corey, and I. Us.”

For some reason, that ticked something in Liam but he quickly brushed it off when Stiles scoffed with a sarcastic smile plastered on his face. “So why didn’t he tell everyone else? I mean yeah, we don’t really trust him, but he should’ve told us his plans if he wanted to be apart of this pack. How the hell do you guys know he was even telling the truth? For all we care, he could’ve been lying to all of you, about everything!”

Okay, now that ticked Liam off to the max. Yes, Theo has done some bad things in earlier years but that doesn’t mean he didn’t try to redeem himself. As soon as he had brought Theo back, the chimera has only helped them with everything. Isn’t that enough? They accepted Peter back, Ethan as well, but no, apparently Theo didn’t have any place in the pack. It’s this hypocritical bullshit that sent Liam into a frenzy, except it wasn’t him to go at the human.

It was Corey.

Sweet, peaceful Corey had gotten mad enough to lunge at Stiles. It took Mason, Lydia, and Kira to stop him. It may not be much but this was _Corey_. Even though he was mad, no one expected him to go at it. It was enough for Liam to stop in his tracks. Corey looked absolutely feral compared to his usually composer. Low growls escaped his lips as his eyes glowed a menacing yellow, teeth crunched together as if to keep him from biting anyone. “Theo’s changed. He’s not some manipulative murderer anymore! You may still see him as a monster but fuck Stiles, he hasn’t done anything against you! All he’s been doing is helping after Liam brought him back from Hell. He’s already proved himself to everyone, and just because you’re still mad at him for every bad thing he’s done in the past, doesn’t mean he didn’t.”

“He has a point, Stiles..”

“Oh come on Scott, don’t tell me you really believed that crap!”

Lydia rolled her eyes, “It’s Corey, of course it’s true Stiles.”

“I don’t know why everyone is attacking me when it seems like I’m the only fucking person in this house with common sense!”

Everything was happening so fast, Liam didn’t know what to do. The shouting became eminent through the loft, with everyone screaming at each other. Mason has pulled Corey away into a corner to calm down and as he did that, the rest of the puppy pack had slowly resides near said corner. Liam was too overwhelmed to do anything but stand beside a still shaking Alec, who was now wrapped in one of Theo’s blankets from upstairs. Credits to Josh for getting him one.

It was only until the click of chains falling near the front door had everyone still and quiet. Standing there in all his glory was Theo Raeken, but deep down, Liam knew it really wasn’t. This person standing at the door wasn’t the confident and sarcastic full-shift chimera that everyone, minus Stiles, had seemed to know. No, this was a shell of that former being. Theo was dripping wet, grey sweat pants soaked with what smelled like lake water. He didn’t even have a shirt on, but his body wasn’t shivering, that doesn’t mean we had warm though. This Theo looked numb, completely broken by the world around him, tears streaming down his face but mouth refusing to make even the slightest of sound. Liam’s heart ached at the scene. The chimera just looked so, _hurt._

The beta wasted no time in pushing past all the statue-like people and pulling Theo into a crushing hug. Liam could feel the other hesitate, hands vibrating with anguish, but he gave in eventually. Strong arms wrapped around Liam’s waist and pulled him as close as they could humanly be. That’s when Theo’s legs gave out and Liam had to use his strength to slowly put them on the ground.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry,” Theo said like a mantra, holding Liam just a little tighter with each sentence.

Tracy was the first to speak after the abrupt appearance made by Theo, “Just so you know, Stiles, just so everyone knows actually! Theo came back because he didn’t want to run away from his problems anymore. And the reason he stayed is because he needed people to reach out to him, to help him, to make him realize that it’s okay to mistakes. But you guys were too into your own worlds to realize that Theo was hurting too! He may seem like a monster to you, but a part of him is still human.”

Josh pulled Tracy into his embrace, patting her head as she cried into his shoulder. She was right though. None of the original pack had batted an eye when Theo came back because he just seemed _normal_ but Liam realizes it now that he really wasn’t. Theo was obviously hurting and none of them reached out to help, only those who could really read him did, his ex-pack members. He still doesn’t understand why Lori, Brett, and Nolan was told before himself but that wasn’t the problem right now. Right now, he had an arm full of cold chimera and his only goal was to get him better. Small whispers echoed through the room, but Liam ignored them, opting to rubbing the back of Theo’s head as silent tears soaked his shirt. He waited for a little before softly asking him if he could stand, he got a nod as a response. That was a good sign, it meant Theo wasn’t totally gone.

They stood with the help of Nolan, who had come to his senses as well and held his friend at his waist. They took slow, small steps before Liam paused at the foot of the stairs. The stairs were a little challenge. The steps weren’t all that wide and three people trying to squeeze through them all at once was close to impossible, so Liam decided it was best for Nolan to bring the cold chimera in their hands to the upstairs bathroom for a nice, warm bath while he himself checked up on everyone else downstairs.

Theo deserved that much, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the longest chapter you'll get outta me so I hoped you enjoyed! Tell me your thoughts in the comments, did anything surprise you?


	4. Tara

When Theo broke through the water‘s surface, he let out the loudest roar he has ever done. It was to the point where the trees shook around him. His body led him to the lake’s shallow end, only collapsing when it knew that drowning was no longer an option for it. With a groan, Theo turned his body so his naked back hit the soft dirt behind him. Why hadn’t it worked? He asked himself. Why didn’t it? The chains were still tightly wrapped around his ankles yet they no longer felt heavy. This was supposed to be his free ticket to Hell. So why the fuck hadn’t it worked?!

“ _Because that’s not what you really want_.”

The reaction was almost immediate, Theo springing up to his feet, only to see Tara softly humming while leaning against the bridge railing. Confused chemosignals began to plug the air around because well, when you see your supposed dead sister standing a few feet away from you, you would have that type of feeling. This isn’t real. It can’t be! It’s not possible because Tara is supposed to be in Hell, so why is she standing right there?

“Am I hallucinating?”

“ _Go home, Theo.”_

“To what? An empty loft? An empty house? I don’t have to go home because _there’s no one there_. I’m tired of being alone, Tara! Tired of, of waking up in the middle of the night because you were clouding my nightmares again. Tired of lying to everyone and saying that I’m perfectly okay. Tired of people pretending they want to help me. I’m, I’m _too fucking tired_ , Tara, and I just can’t take anymore of this.”

“ _It’s okay to not be okay, Theo, but this isn’t the answer_.”

“Of course it’s not!” Theo yelled through angry tears, “But nothing works anymore and, and.. I don’t know what to do anymore!”

Past Theo would laugh if he ever saw the state current Theo was in, face red with anger but tears filled with sadness. Everything hurt again, and Theo wasn’t ready for that. He wanted to be numb, to not feel anything anymore, Theo wanted himself dead, but of course life refused to give him that as well. The one good thing he was actually trying to do for himself and for the pack, didn’t work out. The chimera laughed hysterically at himself. This is pathetic, he is literally talking to an imaginary Tara because his brain said no to drowning. God, what a fucking night.

“ _Go. Home. Theo. I’m not going to leave you alone until you do._ ”

Okay, this time, Theo was done. He was done with fighting with his mind, and his ghost sister. “Fine! I’ll go, but I’ll go home and curl up into an empty, and cold bed like you want me to. This is honestly unbelievable actually, because I didn’t think you hated me this much, but I guess you do. I hope you watch me suffer quietly until the day I die, and once I do, we’re gonna have one hell of a meeting sis, pun intended.”

And with that, the chimera turned the opposite way and began his long trek back to his loft.

Tara looked at him walking away with a little smile on her face, “ _Love you too, bro."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's short!


	5. Mason

After making sure Nolan was fine with looking after Theo in the shower, Liam made his way back downstairs where everyone still stood, a mixer of confusion and anger written across their faces. That right, Liam had forgotten, the pack didn’t know Theo like the puppies did. They didn’t know Theo took anxiety pills, or still had nightmares, and there’s no way they knew that this had happened before. Liam could still remember the night that Theo had first tried to commit. It rung in his head whenever Theo started to act differently, and he’s sure that it echoed through the other’s as well.

That’s why they’re defensive when it comes to the chimera and his issues. The puppy pack has seen first hand how _badly_ things could change with him.

“I can’t believe we let this happen again,” Mason whispered, but what was the point? Everyone could hear him.

Scott gave him a look before asking him, “What go you mean ‘again’, Mason?”

The human looked up like a deer caught in head lights. His gaze shifted from the different puppy pack members before ultimately landing on Liam, who was closes to the chimera right next to Corey, but it seems he refuses to talk to anyone outside their subunit. The beta sighed to himself because quite frankly, he didn’t want to explain anything because he shouldn’t be the one doing it, but on the other hand, he knew that they wouldn’t leave without any information.

With one last look towards the upper level, Liam decided that things needed to be cleared out. “I can’t tell you because this is Theo’s personal information, but what I _can_ tell you, is that this isn’t the first time this has happened.”

“How many times?”

There it was, the anger of not knowing. They were the same the first time too.

“This makes it the third. The first two months after the Anuk-Ite, and the second three and a half months later.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?! We could’ve, we could’ve helped.”

“Help with what, Scott?” Mason interjected before Liam could say anything. That was good because Liam was so close to just punching his alpha in the face. “This isn’t some super natural situation. Theo’s not possessed like Stiles was, and he isn’t being manipulated like he had been before. Theo is suffering, because he’s not okay. There isn’t anything you, any of you, could do to help him, not when you still see him as the person he was before.”

That was it, the cold-hearted truth that no one was expecting to hear from Mason. Liam could practically see the gears running in the old packs’ heads, thoughts contradicting what they had been told. For some reason, the beta felt satisfied by this. They needed to see that Theo wasn’t evil anymore, and letting them see just how human the chimera could be, was the breaking point.

“I think you should leave,” Liam pauses, looking through the older members, “all of you. Theo needs time to recover.”

“We can’t leave! Not until we know he’s okay,” said Malia.

“You guys haven’t been in Beacon Hills for months, let alone visiting. We know what to do, we’ve done this before and to be fairly honest, you’ll probably just stress out Theo more, and we don’t want that. Like I said before, not the first time.”

Mason got the message once Liam looked at him with pleading eyes. He rallied the oldies together and out the door, prompted to personally follow them until every single one of them is at their respective homes. Lori comes with him, just for back up, and to make sure Mason doesn’t downright fall asleep on his way back to the loft. Once the sliding door closed with Lori, everyone else had scattered and began getting ready to camp out on the bottom floor. That’s when Liam walked over to Alec, sitting next to him.

“Why didn’t you call one of us? Why’d you call Scott?” Liam asked him.

Alec didn’t budge, but didn’t falter either when the older beta pulled him into his chest, “I, I panicked and.. I don’t know. Scott put himself as an emergency contact on my phone so he was the first name to show up. I was _scared_ Liam, that I was too late this time. Theo’s the one who took up the role of being my father-figure and to have him drop just like that, it hurts. I don’t want to lose my family again.”

“Shh, it’s okay Alec, no one is going anywhere, especially not Theo. I would’ve resurrected him and kicked his ass if he did anyway.”

“You must really care for him too.”

“Yeah.. I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live for the puppy pack defending Theo like he's part of the pack :3


	6. Leo

When Theo woke up early the next morning, he wasn’t the only one in his bed. Alec lay next to him, his hands clutching the front of his shirt like his life depended on it. This didn’t phase Theo all that much, Alec was always clingy towards him, especially when one of them had another episode. This was no different, but what surprised the chimera the most was that Liam laid on the other side of the young beta, face displaying a peaceful and pleased expression on it. Without a thought though, Theo pulled Alec impossibly close, and then Liam. They squished together comfortably, almost without a care in the world. _This_ is what Theo really needed right now, people close to him, both physically and mentally. This really brought the light to Theo’s dark, dark world.

“Mmm, good morning,” Liam whispered, fluttering his sleepy eyes open for Theo to see.

Damn those beautiful blues, they always made him smile.

“Morning.”

Theo cringed at his voice. It was if he hadn’t had water in centuries, it was that scratchy and deep. But he couldn’t help notice the shiver Liam had when the words left his lips. He would be lying to himself if he said that he didn’t think that that was adorable, but honestly, who wouldn’t? Liam is fucking adorable, period.

“You doing okay?” Liam’s pleased face turned into one of worry, which Theo had expected. He hummed as a response before lazily wrapping an arm over Alec and around Liam’s waist to pull him just that tiny bit closer. For some reason, his wolf was telling him to pull the other even closer, but that would literally crush Alec. He also didn’t want the beta to feel uncomfortable with such close proximity but then again, Liam looked like he wasn’t opposed to it so Theo let his wolf win just this one time.Something grumbled deep in his chest, but he chose to ignore it, opting to listen to Liam instead.

“Do you want to talk about it while everyone’s asleep? I know you don’t like leaving yourself vulnerable with a big crowd, but since everyone’s is practically dead asleep, I was hoping that you’d open up. Would that be okay?”

It was as if Liam could see right through him. Theo knows that if he keeps everything bottled up again, this situation would repeat itself once again and honestly, he was sick and tired of it. So, with one last ear check to the loft, he deemed it suitable to talk in low whispers, like that would be any help with werewolves, kanimas, and chameleons only a few feet down the stairs. Still, it’s the thought that counts. But then again, if anyone were to wake up, Theo’s throat would certainly shrink and refuse him of speech. Maybe being friends with your neighbor do have their perks.

“Come on, let’s go to Alec’s place,” Theo said while getting up, “and then we can talk.”

“Okay.” Was the only response before the two of them carefully slipped out of Theo’s queen-sized bed and began heading to the loft next door. Once the door behind them slid closed, Liam all but pulled Theo along to Alec’s messy couch and pulled him down, wrapping the both of them in one big blanket. It wasn’t always like this, they weren’t always this close but once Liam had caught wind of Theo’s second attempt, not even knowing about the first one, the beta made it his mission to keep a caring eye towards the elder. It let them be touchy and comfortable. They were no longer friends on occasion; Theo was Liam’s anchor, and Liam was Theo’s.

They spent their sweet time getting comfortable in the pill of blankets Alec usually left on the couch. The puppy pack just had their weekly pack nights in the youngest’s place, so it seems that Alec refused to clean up the furniture after it. Theo was glad for it because now, he and Liam were pulled closely together, wrapped in warm blankets. Their twisting limbs hidden under the soft fabric. If you asked Theo what this was, he would totally respond with ‘Heaven’.

After a few moments of basking in the warmth, Theo finally decided that it was time to talk. “I’m gonna be honest with you, Liam, I don’t have a reason for this one. I was just _so_ tired, of everything, that I felt like I couldn’t do it anymore. The first two times were so different, I was feeling so much during those times, but I just felt like nothing this time around. The world just felt _cold_ , and it was numbing me to my core.”

Theo paused, just to make sure the other was still listening to him, mostly because he was still afraid that this was all fake and he really _had_ died under the bridge. Thankfully, Liam hummed pleasantly for reassurance, drawing random shapes on his stomach, head laid in the chimera’s shoulder like it was meant to be there. The peaceful moment was then cut short because Theo had blurted out, “I stopped going to therapy.” And that made Liam jump to look at him in the eye, chemosignals oozing with worry around them.

“Theo, wha—“

“I know, I shouldn’t have stopped, but I just… I couldn’t bring myself to go after seeing everyone being so miserable because of me.”

Liam threw him a confused look, “What do you mean ‘miserable’? No one is miserable, at least not because you.”

“Come on Liam, anyone could see it if they looked closely enough. I was bringing everyone down with me, and I hate myself for only noticing now. You guys were so happy without me around, but since I got back, you guys stopped being so, I don’t know, cool with each other? There haven’t been any pack nights where everyone was present, no visits to Sinema, you guys don’t even talk have normal conversations in the group chat anymore.”

“ I admit, we have changed the past few months, but it wasn’t because of you, Theo. Sure, you played a big roll in all the bad blood between us and the older pack, but that doesn’t mean we regret anything. We love you, Theo, and if Scott and the other can’t see that, we don’t need them because there’s no way in hell that we’re letting you go. We care about you Theo, that’s why we’re like how we are now.”

Oh no, here it is. The water works that Theo despises so much. He tilts his head back and laughs hysterically at himself, before looking back at Liam and sniffling. “I’m sorry, for scaring everyone again. I should probably apologize to Corey the most since he’s been through this three times already, but I could do that later. Thank you Liam, for everything.” The beta doesn’t say anything back, but does take a risk, a risk that leaves Theo utterly speechless.

Liam kisses him.

It took him a second to respond back, but once Theo had finally realized what was happening, he practically tackled the other into the cushions. Liam didn’t mind, only places his arms around the chimera’s neck, laughing at both their excitement. When Theo pulled back, he could only look at Liam with adoration. His feelings for Liam were all a mystery to him until now. Everything finally made sense and it made him feel just a little stupid because _he’s in love with Liam Dunbar_ , and it only took him years to figure it out. Not like he was complaining now, not when that said person is looking back at him with the same, maybe even more love in his eyes.

“Don’t you ever scare me again Theodore Raeken. You’ve scared me _twice_ already, I don’t think my heart could handle another,” Liam firmly said.

The chimera nodded, “Three times actually, but the first time was me jumping out of a corner, not a death scare.”

“Shut up and kiss me before Scott drags you away to explain!” Whines the beta.

“Already so needy huh, Little Wolf?” Theo sarcastically replies, but he lowers himself anyway.

Fuck the world if he can’t savor his happy moments, Theo Raeken does whatever the fuck he wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little fluff before more breaking news :DD


	7. Corey

Corey was the first to wake up, or at least he thought he was. When he climbed upstairs to go check on Theo, he only found Alec star fished on his bed. It did strike him with worry, but once he realized _Liam_ was also apparently missing, it wasn’t that hard to piece together what had happened. So with that in mind, he goes back downstairs to make some coffee and maybe even some breakfast if he found enough ingredients in Theo’s fridge. Having spent countless of nights with just Theo and him in the loft, Corey knew where everything was. Even if, he still sifted through the cabinets and the fridge because for some reason, Theo always seemed to put things in different places for no reason. Corey always got annoyed of that.

“When was the last time you went grocery shopping, Theo?” Corey whispered to no one in particular.

Apparently, not very recently because the fridge was literally almost empty. The only things left were condiments and a few spare eggs, who were most likely already expired. Corey didn’t seem so surprised by the fact. More than likely, Theo had every meal with outside or with anyone of their friend group. The reason for this predicament was obvious, after everyone had found out about everything after Theo’s second attempt, there was no way they would leave him alone, at least not for a while. If Theo was lucky, he would spend about an hour, if not less, alone.

_It’s for the best_ , Corey kept reminding himself.

“I guess we need to make a trip to the store?”

The chameleon jumped at the voice, probably too engrossed in his thoughts to notice anyone behind him, “Yeah probably, we should go before Liam and Theo comeback from where they decide to go to.”

“Do you know where they went?” Alec asked, yawning into his hand.

“You’re the one with the better senses Alec, you tell me.”

Like the young brother that he is, Alec does as he’s told, holding his head up and sniffing the air. “They’re in my loft. I heard some laughing so I guess they’re okay there by themselves.”

“What’d you expect? Theo’s with _Liam_. If today isn’t the day they get together, then they’re just a lost cause,” laughed Corey. It’s true though. The amount of conversations he and Theo had just talking about him pinning over a certain beta friend is more than enough for Corey to say that well, he was practically _in love_ with Liam. Corey always took the chance to tease the elder about it too, even with other people of the pack present. It was obvious to anyone who had functioning eyes, hell, even Deucalion could probably tell and he’s blind.

“I guess you’re right,” the younger said, shrugging, “Come on then, I’ll drive you to the store.”

“With what car exactly?”

Alec paused with his mouth hanging open before turning around and grabbing a random pair of keys that lay scattered on the kitchen peninsula with the rest of them, “Whatever this one opens.”

The smile that scattered across Corey’s face just as Alec innocently held what looks to be Brett’s keys really showed just how cute the younger could be without even trying. Without a second thought, the two quietly slip through the sliding doors, having a quick look into Alec’s loft to see a scene that seems too intimate for the both of them to watch. Corey had to practically drag Alec away from the door because it was as if the younger was in a trance of total adoration for the two. Once they were outside, Alec clicked the buttons on the keys. Brett’s car made a faint noise as a response.

_Sorry not sorry, Brett!_

“So, what was it like?” Alec suddenly blurted out while they browsed for bacon and sausage.

Corey looked at him weirdly, “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, Theo told me you were the only one there for him the first time he… y’know, tried to commit suicide. I just wondered what it felt like seeing him so low for the first time. I mean, you _are_ the only one who’s experienced this three times already.”

He didn’t know how to answer that. Yes, he may have seen the cycle three times already, but that doesn’t really make him any better than everyone else. When Theo had called him in the middle of the night while the entire pack was having a sleep over at Scott’s, the only feeling he had then was fear, and to be honest, Corey doesn’t think it ever left completely. After seeing the chimera in such a low state, Corey couldn’t help but feel responsible for everything he’s been suffering since he came back from Hell. Even with all the bad things Theo has done in his past, everyone deserves a redemption era. Theo is no different.

“It took me hours to calm him down after I found him. The only thing I could do then was tell him everything was okay. To be honest, I was really scared, more scared than I ever was when fighting a supernatural monster even. I never thought anyone like Theo could even become something like that. Thankfully, I convinced him to go to a therapist and take medication, but I guess that wasn’t enough because he tried it again a second time, and now a third.”

“You think you didn’t do enough?”

Corey nodded, picking up a pack of sausages, “Sometimes, yeah. I thought that after taking him to therapy and making sure he took his medication, that he would get better.”

“But he is better though. Minus _those_ days, he seemed happier than he ever was, though some days did seem a little down compared to others. Maybe it’s not only the anxiety and the nightmares, maybe it’s something else too. Did anything happen before he sunk?”

“I guess he was in a slump for a few days, but we all just brushed it off since Theo likes his space. Now that I think about it though, these slumps happen every few weeks, and some were far worse than others. What do you think it is?”

Alec shrugs, “I’m no doctor but I feel like Theo should get checked out again, because it seems like some type of bipolar disorder.”

“We’ll talk to him about it when we get home. For now, let’s just make sure he comes back to a great breakfast, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was debating on whether I should write a prequel to show how Corey handled Theo's first attempt. Would you guys be interested in reading that?


	8. Scott

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW// depictions of mental illness

When Theo looked at Liam, it was obvious how much the elder just loved the boy in front of him. They were still tangled in the discarded blankets in Alec’s apartment, sitting in a comfortable silence. Liam had his head comfortably sat on the other’s chest, his fingers making small shapes across the bundle of muscle. Theo laughed at that, Liam was too fucking cute for his own good. How could anyone leave this little puppy alone?

_Cough cough_ Hayden _cough_

To be honest, Theo didn’t want to move at all but once he noticed a single, familiar heartbeat standing in the hall between his and Alec’s lofts, he knew it was time to talk. The chimera made a gesture to get up, only to get a loud whine as a response. If he wasn’t such a simp for Liam, Theo would’ve totally just got up and dropped whoever was on him but of course now he can’t do that, not with a giant human sitting on him with their legs on either side of Theo’s hips.

“Liam, baby, you gotta let me get up.”

“I don’t want to though.. you’re so comfy.”

“Scott’s been pacing around in the hall for the last ten minutes. I think it’s time for me to talk, whether you like it or not.”

Liam frowned, “You know you don’t have to feel obligated to tell Scott anything, right? He’ll understand that it’s really personal and then he’ll just wait until you come to him.”

“I know,” whispered the chimera, running his hand through Liam’s hair. Liam stared at him with an unreadable expression before he sighed because of course Theo seemed more confident and calm than the other was. It wasn’t a total lie, Theo _is_ pretty calm right now but he knows his episode isn’t really finish yet and there’s a high potential that if he tells Scott everything, he could relapse again. There’s still a little voice in his head that’s telling him he shouldn’t be content, but Liam doesn’t need to know that right now.

Once the beta finally let off Theo’s lap, they made their way to the loft door and swung it open to see Scott nervously looking at them with wide eyes. Liam ushered his way back into Theo’s loft and closed the door behind him, leaving the two of them alone. The alpha opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Theo all but smirks at him, “I’m guessing you’re here for me?”, voice coming out rougher than it usually was. Maybe he should drink a cup of water before going through with his whole spiel of his own mental illness problems.

“U-um, yeah but if you don’t want to, I won’t force you to tell me anything. Believe it or not, I think of you as pack so your own safety is as important to me as any other pack member, and that includes your privacy.”

“Yeah well, it seems a few _other_ members of your pack don’t see eye to eye with me. I stood behind the door when the whole screaming started to happen.”

Scott looked so exasperated when he frowned at Theo, “I’m sorry about Malia and Stiles, they shouldn’t have said what they said when they haven’t been in Beacon Hills since we graduated.”

Theo huffs unconsciously before he could even realize it himself. Okay, he may be spending too much time in his full-shift form, that was totally unnecessary. “Sorry, force of habit,’ he says sheepishly, “Anyways, what exactly did you want me to explain? That my brain is messed up? I think everyone already knows that—“

“No Theo, I was gonna ask how long have you been suffering. I’ve been in a dark place during a certain part of my life too, and from that, I can tell that you need people to _understand_. That’s why I came by myself today, I wanted to ask if you could make me understand what’s going with yourself.”

“If _the_ true alpha, Scott McCall has been in a situation like mine, then he would also understand that that’s a hard to question to answer.”

He let himself pause, giving the alpha a chance to let everything go and pretend last night didn’t happen. He didn’t leave, just stared. Theo thought he would feel vulnerable with those innocent eyes, he thought they would pierce his soul like Tara did in Hell. They didn’t, it just calmed Theo down some more. To be honest, the amount of trust Scott is putting in him is a little overwhelming. He’s so used to having people not care, but his therapist has always told him the people you least expect, always care the most. Right, he should probably email her later and apologize for missing so many sessions, but that’s not the problem right now.

It looked like Scott wasn’t going to budge. Typical for such a caring alpha, something Theo wished he could be instead of this sad, broken person he knows he really is.

“Before the Dread Doctors, I was just some loner kid with terrible asthma, but after? I thought I could actually _be_ someone. They promised me some friends, a family, _a pack_ but they didn’t. I endured experimental torture, and I didn’t even know it was happening to me. I realized too late that I was suffering for _nothing_ , but I guess that didn’t stop you guys from sending me to Hell, now did it?”

“I’m sorry ab—“

A hand was raised in front of him that made Scott stutter to a stop, “After Liam pulled me out of the ground, things were different. I was _feeling_ and I hadn’t felt _anything_ since before I was kidnapped, so it scared me. The nightmares about my sister tearing my heart out didn’t help, the growing anxiety that someone was take me back didn’t help, and the loneliness that was eating away at me didn’t help either. I thought that after Corey pushed me to go to therapy and start taking medication, that I would be better. And then I was diagnosed of _Type two Bipolar Disorder_.”

Scott definitely gulped at that.

“My episodes aren’t as serious as people who have the type one variety, but it’s still hard. Going in and out of hypomania and depression is _so fucking scary_ , Scott, you don’t even know. It wasn’t long before I realized I was never gonna be fully okay, with myself and with my head. I have to live with this for my _entire_ life now, so please, I don’t want your pity care.”

Telling another person what he had been keeping to himself for _months_ was like a breath of fresh air to Theo’s suffocating lungs. He remembers when he used to tell Tara about everything and anything and that felt amazing, it’s the same with Scott. Somehow, Theo can’t explain it. It just feels _right_.

“I’m proud of you, Theo, for telling me everything,” Scott responds with that damn crooked smile, heart as even as it could be.

Is this really what family feels like?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like since Alec spends the most time with Theo, he would notice before anyone else. He seems more like an observer so it was only fitting for him to know, or at least suspect that Theo wasn't telling them the full story :). Tell me what you thought of the chapter!


	9. Raven

When Raven first started seeing Theo, he didn’t give her much of anything to work with. He barely talked to her and when he did, it was only a few short words at most. Raven is a very patient person, as a therapist should be, but Theo always seemed to tick her off the wrong way. Something about him just smelled like danger, but she couldn’t pin point exactly where it was coming from. In all her years of working with so many different and diverse supernatural beings, Theo was _different_. That didn’t scare her though, because after taking one look into his eyes, she could just tell how _hurt_ this boy was, and how much help he wanted but couldn’t say.

It took weeks for Theo to finally open up to her. She understood why he had kept to himself for such a long time, who wouldn’t after going through what he had? Getting kidnapped and manipulated by psychotic freaks is one thing, but being sent literal _Hell_ is another. That’s where the root of his anxiety tree started, and where his awful nightmares derive from, which is the cause of his frequent insomnia. Raven worked even harder to help Theo get better by prescribing anxiety pills and sleep medication and booking more therapy sessions throughout the month. She even kept in touch with Corey, the one who had called her about Theo.

Things did get better sometimes. Theo would genuinely feels happy and content with how he was living, and then suddenly he would go back to being closed-off and agitated. Raven thought it was only a fluke the first two times, but then Theo had discussed the other instances where his emotions would fluctuate and change. There was a pattern, a very visible pattern that made Raven become angry with herself for not noticing sooner.

At first, Theo had been in denial about having any sort of mental disorder besides insomnia, chronic anxiety, and maybe sociopathy, but after a very detailed explanation of the symptoms and the sub-varieties of Bipolarism, he finally understood. A few arguments were thrown about how they should work with Theo’s disorder, only because he thought he would be fine on his own. Raven didn’t like that idea very much, coming from a person who has experience with this specific disorder, it was best that he go through this with someone he could trust. That’s when she decided that Alec and Corey were the most fit for that problem, albeit their agreement was that they would not be informed of Theo’s bipolar. Raven had to give in to the chimera’s request, or else Theo would spiral again.

However, it was when Theo began to miss their meet-up dates that Raven began to worry just a little more than she should. Could you blame her though? Her list of patients are to a minimal due to the supernatural aspect of her job, which means she has more opportunity to get to know her clients more. With that being said, Theo was probably the one she felt more attune to, like a mother talking to her son rather than a therapist talking to their patient.

Raven tried to call Theo multiple times, only to go to voice mail after a few rings. So when his ID had randomly popped up on her phone in the morning, she practically threw herself over her own kitchen counter and onto the dining table where her phone sat. Not really, but the motions were quite frantic. Before answering, she took a deep breath to sooth the anger that unknowingly built in her body before actually picking up the call.

“Theodore Karl Raeken, I swear—“ Raven paused, taking another deserved deep breath, “Sorry, I should be more professional… How have you been Theodore? Is there a reason you haven’t been answering my calls or emails?”

“ _I can tell you’re mad you know._ ”

“Oh no, you got this all wrong. I am _furious_ , but being angry isn’t going to get me the answers I want. So tell me Theodore, what happened?”

There was a pregnant paused before a sigh from the other line. “ _Before I say anything, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for ignoring you the past few weeks. I haven’t been feeling well, I think it’s the new medication you gave me, but I can’t really be sure because it could also be me being bipolar and my episode was just really long this time._ ”

“I’ll be sure to look into your medication and see if I can do something. But that doesn’t seem like the big part of this conversation, is it?”

“ _I_ …” the line was silent for a minute or two, Theo seemingly trying to think how to tell her something, “ _I did something last night, and you aren’t going to like it.._ ”

It was as if the air around Raven stilled with her. She knows what Theo is implying and he’s right, she doesn’t like it at all. The feeling of guilt that rounded her thoughts was heavy. She’s a _therapist_. It’s her job to prevent something like this from happening again, and to have it happen _twice_ while under her care is devastating.

But Theo knows her too well to let her think like that for very long, “ _This isn’t your fault, Raven. I know you’re trying your best,_ been _trying your best. It’s me that’s not going through with what we agreed on._ ”

“Theodore.. we both know this isn’t something we should be talking on the phone about. I’m currently out-of-state because of an emergency with one of my other clients, but as soon as I get back, we are going to have a few sessions back-to-back whether you like it or not.”

“ _I understand_.”

“Good. I’ll be back in two days.”

“ _Before you hang up, I have a question._ ”

“Okay?”

“ _When I started to miss our therapy sessions, why didn’t you tell Alec or Corey? You have their numbers saved on your phone, I know you do, so why didn’t you tell them about me?_ ”

Raven thought to herself for a moment then answered after mixing the right words together, “I _know_ you Theodore, and I know how you think and act, even if you don’t think I do. There are certain points in life where people feel the need to be alone for quite some time, I felt like this was one of those moments. And I didn’t just not ask Corey or Alec about it, I kept in touch. Asking them simple questions like ‘Is Theodore feeling well?’ or ‘Has Theodore been fine the past few days?’. I knew that you’ll eventually be ready talk about whatever is happening during this.. portion of your life, so I waited.”

“ _Thank you.. for worrying. I don’t know the last time anyone seemed so adamant to help me with my problems_.”

“I beg to differ, especially when Corey and Alec got involved with this, but anyway, of course I care Theodore. I’m your therapist after all, and I guess a mother figure at times too.”

Theo’s electronic laugh echoed the room, “ _Yeah yeah yeah, I get it. I’ll see you in a few days, Raven_.”

“Keep me updated with texts okay? Oh! And tell me more about that Liam boy, Corey tells me you two have been sneaking around each other for quite a long time.”

“ _Remind me to absolutely murder Corey later_.”

“Bye Theodore,” Raven hummed, relief and contentment laced through her voice. Theo grunted back.

As soon as the line went dead, Raven made her way to her computer and pulled up her calendar so she could open up the whole week just for Theo. She moved already scheduled appointments to their following weeks after checking in with the client with a phone call. Time is what Theo needed, so Raven wanted to give him that chance to fully explain to her everything that has and had happened while they weren’t seeing each other. With a quick text sent to Corey and Alec about the new schedule, Raven got up and got ready for the current supernatural client that needed her to fly all the way to New York.

Traveling wasn’t supposed to be part of the job, but when the only clients you accept are of the supernatural variant, strings need to be pulled. Luckily for Raven, she _adores_ travel! Maybe that’s why her grandmother taught her all her witch stuff instead of her dad… or maybe she was just sexist and didn’t want a male witch in the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've wanted to introduce Theo's therapist earlier but I never found the right time to so this is probably going to be a little surprising. Yes, her name is Raven and yes, her ancestry is full of witches :)) she's nice so I hope you like her. She'll be appearing in the prequels if I ever find the time to write them.


	10. Pack

As soon as Theo had stepped through the doors of his loft, Liam was by his side, worry etched into his face. He wrapped his hand around the chimera’s bicep as if to ask where he had been since he hadn’t come in with Scott a few moments before. Theo then had explained that he was just on a very needed call with his therapist, and would be seeing her in the next few days. That made Liam finally calm down, now pulling him further into the loft where everyone else who had stayed roamed around in. Corey and Nolan were laughing away as they cooked breakfast for all the hungry supernatural while Gabe and Brett bantered through the four of them. Tracy and Lori were somewhere upstairs, probably snuggled up in Theo’s soft sheets (Lydia had gotten them for him so they were probably quite expensive) and talking about random girl things. Scott was busy looking through Theo’s books like he had said before leaving the chimera to himself in the hallway.

However, the only person who didn’t seem all that okay yet was Alec. He sat on the couch by himself, still wrapped in the blanket he had the night before, and watched the tv like nothing ever happened. But Theo knew that look all too well. It may not seem it at first, but Alec is a very caring guy, and will stop at nothing to protect his friends. That is why the chimera was now casually sitting next to him. Liam had gone to look over things with Scott because he could that the two of them needed to have a private conversation. Well, as private as it could be with chimeras, kanimas, and werewolves in the room.

Theo decided to wait until the show Alec was watching had gone to commercial. Luckily for him, it wasn’t long until it did. He took his chances then, leaning closer into the younger wolf, to the point where their shoulders touched. His eyes never left the screen when he began whispering between them. “I just got off a call with Raven. She’s currently out of town so I’m going to have to wait until she gets back to have some more sessions with her. And I know you’re mad at me, so don’t even try to hide it.”

“I’m not mad at you, Theo,” Alec paused to think to himself before continuing, “Scratch that, I am totally mad at you for doing something so stupid. But I’m more mad with myself than anyone else.”

This time, Theo made the effort to look at Alec. “And why is that?”

“Out of everyone else in the room, I should’ve been the one to notice how differently you were acting these past few weeks. I didn’t have the courage to confront you because I thought you would get angry, so I did some digging for myself. I know that’s a dick move for me to do— I mean, going through all your files just to get answers? That’s not how we work around here, but I was desperate so I did it anyway. I found out about your disorder and have known for a few weeks, Theo, so I should’ve seen the signs and had been more cautious. I didn’t though, and I’m really sorry for that. Also, I kind of hinted it to Corey a few hours back so..,” said Alec, finally looking at the chimera next to him after doing so.

A good chunk of the heartbeats in the room had spiked at the mention of Theo’s disorder, but it didn’t really bother him all that much. They were going to find out sooner or later anyways, might as well come clean when he still had a little bit of his ego with him still.

“You don’t have to be sorry. I did this to myself, I _chose_ to stop going to therapy and it fucked me over. I should be the one apologizing, not you Alec. You guys shouldn’t have to be worry about me when I’m nothing more than an extended guest. So honestly, you should just keep your apologize and accept mine.”

Alec shook his head, turning back to the television where his show was back from commercial, “That’s where you’re wrong. Whether you like it or not Theo, you are part of this pack, even if some people act like you aren’t. How could you think you weren’t when you helped us so much? You’ve saved some us from death, and even keep Liam and I grounded when we can’t control our emotions anymore. And if that doesn’t spell out pack member for you, I don’t know what does.”

Alec’s words had stunned him, he didn’t even know how to respond anymore. That’s why Alec beat him to it.

“We’re _family,_ Theo. I mean, you’re practically my father figure after taking me under your wing and taking care of me,” it was then that Alec finally let himself smile since the whole ordeal started, “And just between me and you, I personally like my family very much alive rather than dead.”

There was no response after that, but Theo did reach over and ruffled his hand through Alec’s locks, a small smile etched into his face. They sat like that for a few minutes, just comfortably sitting close and watching some random ass show Alec found surfing through the channels. That was until Alec’s leg started bouncing. Of course Theo noticed, he noticed everything. Or at least he noticed things when they’re the people he cares about. There was something bothering the wolf beside him, and honestly, Theo is an open fucking book right now. So he starts up some conversation again.

“If you got questions, you can ask,” he whispered, gaze shifting from the tv to the upstairs where Tracy and Lori leaned into the railing.

It took Alec a few moments to gather up his thoughts properly, he didn’t want to trigger anything because they all had a hectic past 24 hours and he doesn’t want to ruin that. “When did you find out you were Bipolar?”

“Oh Alec baby,” Theo started in a low chuckle, “I’ve known since fourth grade.”

“Wait, _what_?”

Now this made everyone in the room freeze. Alec, who was the only one who had heated it loud and clear leaned back against the armrest and looked at the chimera dumbfoundedly. And for those who only caught a whiff of it, all but turned their heads where the two still sat. Nolan and Mason were definitely out of the mix but they’d put the puzzle pieces together faster than the rest of them so they kept their mouth shut and copied all the very confused stares. Theo knew this would happen if he told anyone, everyone always reacted like that. After hearing what he had just said, he would look like that too.

“Yeah I knew. Found out about the whole mental spectrum while reading some magazine my nurse gave me while they were checking up on everything that was wrong with me back then. Of course I didn’t say anything because that’s when the Dread Doctors decided it was time for us to go, but I’m pretty sure they knew from the beginning. Besides, even if somehow my parents did know, they wouldn’t have done shit and the only person who could’ve helped, I pushed into a freezing lake so I could get her heart.”

The chimera slightly grimaced to himself, any topic that brought up Tara always hurt just enough for Theo’s composure to spill out.

“Then how’d the Dread Doctors react?”

Theo shrugged, “Normally, I guess, but they did use it to their advantage. The euphoria didn’t let me sleep all that much so they would give me most of the outside tasks during that time but once the depression hit and I was bound to a bed all day, the experimenting grew more frequent. It was like that for a couple of weeks but then my episodes started to get worse, like _really_ worse. One time I drove a car off a highway bridge because I thought I could fly. After that near death experience, the Dread Doctors saw my disorder as a danger. So they tried to beat it out of me but when that didn’t work, they’d drug me. Stupid, I know, they should at least know that Bipolarality is a constant and it never goes away.I tried to tell them that the only way to get rid of it, is to get rid of _me_ but they didn’t listen. So I learned how to keep it down, hidden, because I didn’t want to get tortured anymore. I actually lived in complete denial since then, that is until my therapist decided to do a diagnosis.”

“How can you be so open about this right now?” That was Brett, who somehow had taken a seat on the recliner that was on the left of the couch. Actually, he wasn’t only one who had moved closer to get a better hearing. Nolan also sat on the recliner, but on the armrest, legs dangling lazily over Brett’s. Josh, Tracy, and Lori had found their way on the floor in front of the coffee table. Theo could tell they were fidgeting, the coffee was glass after all. Anyways, Mason and Corey also made a trek closer. However, Mason remained standing between Nolan and Josh while Corey took the armrest next to Alec. Liam was close by, very close by. He had snuck into Theo’s side, opposite from Lori’s place on the floor, with Scott sitting right beside him. They’re fingers were clasped together too. How Theo didn’t even notice that? He doesn’t know but in all honesty, he’s glad he didn’t.

“I’m still in the episode. You can’t tell because I’m trying my best not show it. I know that I shouldn’t be doing that right now, especially with the situation, but I can’t help it. Until my therapist is back to tell my brain that this isn’t a good coping mechanism and that I should rely on my medication, this is what you’re gonna get,” explained Theo, voice so monotone and empty.

“Are you sure it’s okay to tough it out like this?” Liam’s was filled with so much concerned that it made Theo’s heart clench in apology. Of course it’s not going to be okay, he might start the denial circle all over again but last time it took months, so maybe waiting two days won’t be all that bad. He responds by wrapping an arm around the Beta’s shoulder and kissing his forehead, nodding as he pulled away. They’d tell if he was lying if he had said anything anyway.

“How about a movie night then?” Mason quipped, “it’ll keep us distracted for a long while and we could just order food.”

“That’s a great idea, Mas. Thanks.”

Mason nodded and smiled, walking away to order some food for everyone. Everyone else started to set up the living area for better accommodation, with Brett and Josh going to the closet for the extra mattress, blankets, and pillows and Corey, Tracy, and Lori moving all the furniture around. Scott also helped with the furniture, but not before reaching over Liam and patting Theo’s knee in sympathy. That left Alec, Liam, and him still snuggling on the couch, finally somewhat content with what’s happened. Somewhere between having the mattress pushed against the couch legs and Mason dumping boxes up boxes of pizza, wings, and whatever else he ordered for them, Alec reached out to Theo’s neck and made the elder turn to him, foreheads touching and everything.

This was something they did for reassurance, and only in private, but privacy was obviously thrown out the window. Alec didn’t care, so Theo didn’t either. The gesture held so much emotion that a word exchange wasn’t needed. They both know what this meant: trust, family, _pack_. That’s why it always seemed to make Theo’s heart swirl in happiness. Actions always speak better than words, this is just the prime example of that. Theo considered explaining it to the others but for now, this is just between brother to brother.

When Alec deemed that their connection was finally processed between both teams, he pulled back and smiled softly before turning his eyes back onto the tv, where Corey finished setting up the Xbox. Everyone got settled in after that, pack members sloan across the floor with bunches of food, blankets, and pillows. Nolan was the one to turn off the lights, which sat near the door opening, but he paused once a soft knocked echoed through the loft.

Again, it became quite. Wearily, Nolan unhinged the door lock and opened it slowly, heart hammering in his chest after finding out who was on the other side. “Um, there seems to be a few more guest at the door...”

The ex-hunter stepped back to show that the rest of Scott’s pack stood behind the door, Stiles leading in the front. They all looked rather nervous, which almost made Theo chuckle a little but he kept that in. One by one, they slowly flowed into Theo’s open kitchen, all baking in the fact that movie night was already established and that Scott had made his amends before they could.

“Theo I’m.. we’re uh—“

“Just hurry up and get fucking comfortable, Stilinski. And that goes for everyone too.”

After those words left Theo’s tongue, it was as if the fog had suddenly lifted because the tension wasn’t there anymore. The already crowded floors got even more crowded. And the food? A lot more expensive. That’s okay though, Derek had pulled out a black card for Mason to use. Once everyone was finally settled down, Theo looked around. For once in his life, he felt like he had some control, that his disorder wasn’t holding him down anymore and it felt fucking great. Maybe Raven was right, there was people who cared for him, but he’s a pride full chimera. He’d rather keep that to himself.

This is what he wanted, what he _needed_. And it couldn’t be any better. Is this what being human actually means?

With one last whisper of “You’re going to be okay, Theo” coming from the one and only, Liam Dunbar, the question is totally thrown to the back of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you noticed plot holes, you didn't :))
> 
> Anyways congrats! You officially made it to the end of 'Human'.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! Comment anything bc they make me happy :3


End file.
